Movement apparatuses are known, for moving the loading planes of lyophilizing and/or sterilizing machines.
Hereafter, the reference to lyophilizing machines comprises both lyophilizing machines and sterilizing machines and combined machines.
The vertical movement of each loading plane inside the chamber is obtained with the aid of vertical tie-rods associated with at least one of the loading planes according to any known technique.
Said planes can also cooperate with possible anti-oscillation guides disposed externally to the planes.
It is known to use loading/unloading sliders, or other similar or comparable means, which move the containers from a preparation plane, disposed outside the treatment chamber, to the loading plane and vice versa.
It is also known that for the loading/unloading sliders it is preferable that suitable guide members are provided which, due to the presence of the vertical tie-rods, can either be upturned or occupy usable spaces of the loading surface of each loading plane.
Moreover, the lateral bulk created by the vertical tie-rods can limit and/or obstruct the presence of the horizontal guides, whether they are mobile or fixed on the loading plane.
One disadvantage of lyophilizing machines is that the drive power and/or command and control signals are supplied to the loading/unloading slider either by means of cables that follow the loading/unloading slider itself, or by means of instructions transmitted via ether that are received by command and control units on board the slider.
Furthermore, the power needed to drive the internal members of the loading/unloading slider, and also the means that generate the movements on each occasion connected with the functions thereof, is supplied either by cables or by accumulators on board the slider.
Another disadvantage is that the slider runs on substantially flat surfaces, which entails dangers of slipping and hence the de-synchronization of the loading/unloading slider with respect to the movement cycle of the containers, and also dangers of skidding and hence loss of perpendicularity with respect to the raceways of the parts of the slider that act on the containers.
Another disadvantage of known lyophilizing machines is that they require long down time periods for the maintenance of the loading planes, for example for cleaning them, consisting of washing and/or disinfecting the relative surfaces.
Such cleaning is generally carried out from outside the treatment chamber, typically one plane at a time.
Cleaning is normally performed by an operator, using jets of water or water mixed with cleaning substances or other products, and also possibly with the aid of brushes or other cleaning instruments.
Cleaning the loading planes, which must necessarily be precise and must take place with the lyophilizing machine switched off, entails suspending the activity of the lyophilizing machine, with a consequent increase in the work times and costs.
Furthermore, manual cleaning as described above may not be accurate enough since it is difficult for the operator to reach some zones of the loading planes.
A first purpose of the present invention is to supply the necessary power and/or instructions to the loading/unloading slider from outside.
Another purpose is to control the position of the loading/unloading slider inside the treatment chamber.
Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a lyophilizing machine comprising at least an independent horizontal guide for loading sliders, which allows to contain the cleaning times of the loading planes, consequently reducing the cycle times and work costs, and which has improved productivity and quality over known lyophilizing machines.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.